Alex Asigno

Yamaha Motor Europe NV has officially announced its support for the Yamaha Classic Racing Team, founded and managed by former Yamaha GP mechanic Ferry Brouwer. In addition to a financial element, the support will include technical as well as promotional aspects. The Yamaha Classic Racing Team (YCRT), born out of passion for racing heritage is aimed at conserving Yamaha’s history from their early golden years of road racing. This truly magnificent period started in the sixties and continued into the seventies. Ferry Brouwer, now 59 yrs old has been into racing since he was 6 years old after being introduced to it by his father. He's been a big fan of Yamaha road racing 2 strokes ever since, and worked as a Yamaha factory mechanic from 1968 to 1973 for riders such as Jarno Saarinen, Phil Read, Chas Mortimer and Tepi Lansivuori. In 1982, Netherlands based Dutchman Ferry founded "Arai Helmet Europe BV". His passion for classic racers never died however and he remained active in that field, working on an impressive collection of classic Yamaha racers and founding a dedicated team to race his machines. In 1998 Ferry was the driving force behind the "Assen Centennial TT", bringing together many famous former GP stars to ride their restored racers. Recently he retired from Arai and now focuses all his time on the Yamaha Classic Racing Team (YCRT).He owns an impressive list of 14 classic Yamaha racers, all in superb condition, and has plenty of plans to extend this line up The machines are of course the real stars, some of them painstakingly restored production machines, all in absolute mint condition and completely original. Others are reconstructions of works machines that had to be built from scratch, as the original work bikes were, as was the custom of the day, destroyed. Examples include the unique YZ634 350 cc 2 cylinder 2 stroke bike, the factory racer in 1972 and the 500cc YZR500 OW45 GP bike ridden so successfully by Kenny Roberts in 1979. The 1972 screaming 2 stroke YZ623C 125cc and the YZ634A 500cc 2 stroke GP bike of the same year are race bikes that were completely recreated by the team. Yamaha fully endorsed the building of these replicas.The absolute stars of the team are the breathtakingly beautiful 125 (RA31A) and 250 cc (RD05A) works 4 cylinder machines which in the hands of Phil Read gave Yamaha a double world championship in 1968. The Yamaha Classic Racing Team riders form an incredible roll call of those glorious racing days. Amongst the regular riders such as Dieter Braun, Svend Andersson, and former Yamaha Factory riders Michelle Duff, Rodney Gould and Chas Mortimer, guest appearances will take place at events with star riders as Giacomo Agostini, Steve Baker, Christian Sarron and Luca Cadalora. They will ride the machines of the Yamaha Classic Racing Team in the style that made them winners in their time. Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp stated, "The relation between Yamaha, the Yamaha Classic Racing Team andFerry Brouwer has been close for many years and continues to grow in strength. The step to make it official is a logical one. The passion for the Yamaha brand, the technology of the bikes and its racing history is something we all share To be able to see these iconic, historical machines still racing at these events remains a very special and unique opportunity. It’s fantastic to see that also younger people are attracted by the technology of the past and can appreciate the variety of machinery of former days, 4 cylinder 250cc or even 125cc engines as well as 750 2strokes, etc. Our aim is not so much to increase the quantity of our classic racers appearances, but to ensure that our racing history remains available in riding condition for Yamaha racing fans to enjoy now and in the future”. Ferry Brouwer commented, “1973 was the last time I worked with Yamaha as mechanic for Jarno Saarinen on the official factory team. Exactly 35 years later I am so happy to be officially associated with Yamaha again. But not just me; through YCRT guys like Rod Gould, Chas Mortimer, Michelle Duff are also back with Yamaha. The official support from Yamaha is recognition of what we do, but above all recognition from Yamaha to and for Yamaha’s own history. Once again Yamaha is leading the way as a Japanese manufacturer they definitely live and act by their own slogan “ Touching your Heart” as an enormous amount of people’s hearts will be touched by seeing those classic machines riding again. We wish to be a source of inspiration for others carrying the past into the future.“ Event schedule 2008 at present:– May 24th-25th,Coupe Moto Legend, Dijon, France July 5th-6th,Bikers’ Classics 2008, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium July 19th-20th,Salzburg, Austria August 9th-10th, Oschersleben, Germany August 16th-17th, Schotten, Germany Click here to view the news

In changeable weather conditions and across a tricky Sevlievo circuit, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team's David Philippaerts scored his first success on the YZ450FM with first and second positions in the two motos at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. After four rounds of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship the Italian has extended his lead in the series to 17 points and also placed Yamaha first in the manufacturer's standings. Josh Coppins was sixth overall and currently lies third. The hard and fast layout situated deep in the Bulgarian countryside offered two different tests to the riders of the MX1-GP category as the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps took place in sunshine but a grey sky and rainfall created a slick and greasy terrain for the second outing. Philippaerts made the most of two decent starts to obtain his prize. The 24 year old escaped the attentions of Billy Mackenzie and Marc de Reuver to lead the first sprint from start to finish. In the second wetter race he fought with Jonathan Barragan and was ultimately unable to match the Spaniard's pace. Entering the last lap Philippaerts was resigned to his second consecutive runner-up position until the leader crashed and allowed Sebastien Pourcel and the Yamaha representative to pull through. Second spot in the moto was enough to secure the overall and his second career MX1-GP success. Josh Coppins ended the day disappointed with sixth position but a set of average starts and some hesitancy on the first lap of Moto1 meant that a better placing was not possible. The Kiwi qualified quite well, (Philippaerts was eighth after being baulked on his two flying lap attempts) with the sixth best lap-time on a dry track that saw the protagonists of the class separated by very little. However he was, by his own admission, 'too slow' in the opening stages of Moto1 and although he pulled through the pack well and was all over the back wheels of Marc de Reuver and Barragan contesting second place, he crossed the finish line in fourth. The second moto was even tougher as he touched with his team-mate along the start straight and had to be determined to cut through from a mid-pack position on the first lap. The course was not easy for overtaking, making Coppins' job even harder; he took 14 points for seventh at the flag. The 31 year old is still well in touch with the title chase. Yamaha Van Beers' Aigar Leok was 17th, one place ahead of UTag Yamaha.com's Carlos Campano. The world championship table still shows both Yamaha Monster Motocross team members within the top three. Philippaerts holds a bigger margin over world champion Ramon and Coppins is 34 points away. Yamaha head the manufacturer's standings by 5 points. The squad are well-placed for round five and their home Grand Prix at Mantova in Italy next week. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 1st: "This is a really good result for me. I tried to win both races but Barragan was very fast in that second moto and I had some luck when I saw him crash. I was pretty tired by that point and I could not stop Pourcel taking the lead. The track was very different in the afternoon. The rain had made it very slippery and some more lines appeared. The mud went softer and got bumpier. The bike is really good and the team are working hard. I'm happy for this; a good day!" Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th: "I thought that things would turnaround for me this weekend but I am really disappointed with how the motos went. My starts were not good, which is unusual for me, and I was too slow at the beginning of the first moto. I wanted to do better for the second moto but David cut across me coming out of the gate; that's OK though because I would have done the same if I also had the holeshot. I was stuck in the middle of the pack and by the time I passed riders there was too big a gap to rise any further. This is not what I wanted ahead of Mantova, which is perhaps the hardest track of the year for me and I am losing my patience; it has been a hard start to this championship." Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager: "A very good weekend. David won the GP with some luck, thanks to Barragan's crash. He was already looking quick and motivated through the practice sessions and playing with the bike but found two slower riders in the Timed Practice that ruined his laps. Anyway, he still got the starts from eighth in the gate. Josh was fourth in the first race which wasn't so bad and his speed in the last ten minutes was very good. His start was a handicap and he could not find his pace like before. The bikes performed well and the riders felt good; we just need to understand why Josh couldn't get going in that second moto." Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 40'7.606 2, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'5.616 3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'6.650 4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'8.084 5, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'14.351 6, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0'29.896 7, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'31.501 8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'36.148 9, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'39.608 10, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'43.629 11, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'45.507 12, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'48.676 13, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0'59.604 14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'1.597 15, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1'9.729 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'17.854 17, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'19.659 18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'22.498 19, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1'24.738 20, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'40.124 Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 39'28.719 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'6.913 3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'8.068 4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'21.486 5, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'27.233 6, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'34.377 7, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'43.440 8, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0'44.277 9, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'44.803 10, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'48.434 11, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'53.504 12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0'55.953 13, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'6.237 14, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'8.493 15, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'11.843 16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'16.105 17, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1'17.858 18, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'22.384 19, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'26.089 20, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1'28.192 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 149 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 132 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 115 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 100 5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 98 6, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 94 7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 90 8, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 80 9, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 76 10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 71 11, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 62 12, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 62 13, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 56 14, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 55 15, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 40 16, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 38 17, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36 18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 28 19, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 23 20, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 26, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 14 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 149 2, Suzuki, 144 3, Kawasaki, 131 4, KTM, 125 5, Honda, 118 6, TM, 19 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Cairoli seventh after first corner incident MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli finished off a Grand Prix podium for the first time since Namur, August 2007 after suffering a first corner crash in a wet second moto at Sevlievo for the Bulgarian round of the FIM series. The fourth round of fifteen took place under changeable weather conditions that saw the first race occur in sunshine and the second on a slippery and soggy terrain. The Sicilian was seventh overall but had already banked some points with a comprehensive victory in Moto1. The Bulgarian dirt was hard and flat and together with the layout created a fast course that left little room for error. The start and initial corners were vital in determining the leading positions as lap-times generally remained fairly close and overtaking was difficult. Cairoli enacted a fantastically close duel with Tommy Searle during the Saturday qualification Heat and got the better of the Briton to secure his second consecutive pole position. The pair briefly resumed their fracas in the first GP moto but the Yamaha De Carli rider unearthed a series of rapid circulations on his YZ250F to break free from his English rival and win his third moto in succession. The second race could not have started more differently. The 22 year old slid off in front of the pack entering the first right turn and was hit by Tyla Rattray. Then, while pushing to regain positions, was struck from behind by another rider and again hit the ground, losing time to restart. He finished down in nineteenth. Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin also had a contrasting set of results. The Frenchman could not recover well from a start that left him in the bottom half of the top twenty on the first lap of Moto1 and scored thirteenth. He did however reverse his fortunes in the second sprint when he chased Shaun Simpson and Tommy Searle and was less than three seconds from first position by the end of the race. His third place meant a ranking of fifth overall. Team-mate Davide Guarneri was sixteenth in the final GP standing. The Italian had to qualify via the Last Chance session after a heavy crash during Saturday's Heat race. A fall in Moto1 meant that he was unable to restart, while he was one of the casualties of the first corner mayhem in Moto2. The 23 year old did manage to capture a hard-won tenth by the end of the 35 minutes and 2 laps. Cairoli's team-mate, Matteo Bonini, made a welcome return to Grand Prix action only two weeks after he recovered sufficiently from a dislocated shoulder. The Italian is lacking race speed and fitness but registered a total of six points with nineteenth overall. 3C Racing's Manuel Monni was a consistent figure around the top ten and earned eleventh position thanks to finishes of twelfth and eleventh. Cairoli lost a little ground in the world championship standings and rests 4 points behind new leader Tyla Rattray. Aubin is fourth and 43 away from the top three. Guarneri is seventh. The MX2-GP elite will be in action in the space of seven days as the Italian Grand Prix at the jumpy Mantova circuit constitutes round five. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 7th: "Of course, after the first moto, I expected more from this GP. I had a really good start in the second moto and when I cut tight for the corner my front wheel slipped away. Everyone was really close and Tyla hit me in the back, which caused a lot of pain. I lost time restarting but worked my way back to 12th, and that was OK because Tyla was in the same group and I felt like I was riding really well. Then when I came down one of the hills a rider had stopped in the line in front of me so I had to slow also and I was hit from behind. The handlebars were covered with mud, so I quickly had to clean them and try to go again. I wanted to keep positive and try for points so I kept pushing and reached 19th. I am now second and four points behind Tyla. This is manageable, and the next GP is in Italy so we will be strong. I want the red plate again in Mantova." Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 5th: "I was missing something today. I started badly in the first moto and could not get a rhythm. I tried to push hard but could not pass the other riders, thirteenth was a poor result. In the second race I felt better and faster and was in the fight for first position which was good. I like Mantova and I must get better because we have had four GPs now and I have not made the results that I want. I have a good bike and my physical condition is OK. I just need a little something extra and that second moto was good for my head." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 16th: "A bad weekend; too many crashes. I like this track but I had a big crash in the heat on Saturday and hit my head so I had to go through the last chance. My gate was far to the outside. I started way back in the first moto and after a few laps I was up to 14th but I lost the front wheel on a jump and I could not restart the bike. Many riders fell at the start of the second moto and I got pushed outside and also crashed, again! It was very slippery there. I pushed and I rode pretty well to finish 10th which was OK. I lost points today but the championship still has a long way to go." Matteo Bonini, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 19th: "I did not feel too bad out there. My shoulder was OK, considering I only started training two weeks ago. I pushed so hard in those two weeks to make this GP that I think it left me very tired today. I gained some points at least and things can only get better. I wanted to make this GP to get some race time before Mantova. The track there is difficult but now I am a little bit more familiar with the speed the guys are making now." Race 1 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 39'3.953 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'2.943 3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'3.719 4, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'18.419 5, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'20.386 6, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 0'24.837 7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'27.211 8, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 0'31.010 9, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0'36.679 10, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'42.073 11, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'47.949 12, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'50.738 13, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'56.220 14, Jason Dougan, Suzuki, GBR, 1'0.504 15, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'5.079 16, Kounsith Vongsana, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'7.458 17, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'9.300 18, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, 1'12.926 19, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 1'15.677 20, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, 1'16.915 Race 2 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 39'48.824 2, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'0.430 3, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'2.811 4, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'16.230 5, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'22.889 6, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 0'25.473 7, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'27.206 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'12.440 9, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'14.557 10, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'18.343 11, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'21.577 12, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'35.750 13, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'38.871 14, Jason Dougan, Suzuki, GBR, 1'45.436 15, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, 1'46.912 16, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 1'48.078 17, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 1'54.455 18, Wyatt Avis, Honda, RSA, 2'4.616 19, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Julien Vanni, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 157 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 153 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 149 4, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 106 5, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 106 6, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 98 7, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 97 8, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 92 9, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 87 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 82 11, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 79 12, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 64 13, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 54 14, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 50 15, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 47 16, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 38 17, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 38 18, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 36 19, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 35 20, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 23 22, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 20 30, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 8 31, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 6 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 186 2, KTM, 184 3, Kawasaki, 116 4, Suzuki, 113 5, Honda, 52 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Prumm bravely takes fourth in Bulgaria Sevlievo and the Grand Prix of Bulgaria witnessed the opening round of five in the inaugural FIM Women's World Championship and Yamaha Van Beers Racing's Katherine Prumm battled adversity to take fourth overall. The double World Cup winner was not afforded a fair debut on her YZ250F after rupturing her right anterior cruciate ligament in the days leading up to the Grand Prix. Putting aside her pain and discomfort it was an uneasy weekend for Prumm who tried to compete but was clearly frustrated by the handicap and being unable to run at her normally impressive speed. She made two mistakes in the first moto that saw her having to work hard to make fifth position, recovering from a second lap placing of twelfth. A slower and wetter second race saw her net a decent third. The 19 year old will now have an MRI scan on Tuesday to determine the extent of the damage to her knee joint and then make a decision as to whether she can fulfil a five month campaign of races internationally and in her native New Zealand. UTag Yamaha.com's Megan Lewis grabbed two points on her GP debut. The 15 year old was nineteenth in Moto2. As with the MX1-GP and MX2-GP classes, round two for the ladies will occur next week at Mantova for the Italian Grand Prix. Katherine Prumm, Van Beers Racing, 4th: "I am actually disappointed with the result. My preparation for the world championship had been perfect. I was feeling very good on the bike, with my training and making good lap-times. I knew I was three or four seconds off my usual pace today. It is hard to go out there and not be able to give 100% and not feel 100% and this showed in my results. I had pain and swelling and I tried to put it to the back of my mind but it was difficult not to let it affect my riding. The world championship is what I want but if the knee is damaged then we will have to make a decision about it this week." Race 1 - 11 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 26'24.860 2, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'1.760 3, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 0'8.863 4, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 0'11.812 5, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 1'24.099 6, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 1'34.522 7, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 1'46.280 8, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 1'48.229 9, Marielle De Mol, Yamaha, NED, 1'52.804 10, Anne Borchers, Suzuki, GER, 2'20.564 Race 2 - 11 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 25'59.026 2, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 0'8.182 3, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 0'25.098 4, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 1'29.889 5, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 1'39.693 6, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 1'59.825 7, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 2'1.008 8, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 2'3.755 9, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 2'5.178 10, Niki Scott, Kawasaki, NZL, 2'10.404 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 47 2, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 40 3, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 38 4, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 36 5, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 31 6, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 28 7, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 26 8, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 25 9, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 15 10, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 12 11, Marielle De Mol, Yamaha, NED, 12 12, Anne Borchers, Suzuki, GER, 11 13, Niki Scott, Kawasaki, NZL, 11 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Kawasaki, 47 2, Suzuki, 40 3, Honda, 38 4, Yamaha, 36 5, KTM, 31 Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga overcame some early weekend set-up issues to power his way to a superb race two win for his Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team at their home track of Monza. Having already scored second in the first race this was Haga's best weekend of the year so far and pushed him further up the championship table. He now sits third overall, on 112 points. In the first race Haga pushed hard in the early laps, taking the new lap record of 1'45.882, beating his previous 2007 recordas he brought himself forward to join what had been a breakaway trio of eventual winner Max Neukirchner, Yukio Kagayama and eventual third place rider, Troy Bayliss. Haga was in contention for race two almost from the start, taking the lead over the line on lap three, and after some close action riding with Neukirchner and Ryuichi Kiyonari, he held Kiyonari off over the line, with Neukirchner second, by only 0.009 seconds. Corser had a tough weekend at Monza, starting well in race one but slowly dropping back to 12th. In race two he was in more competitive form but a close moment under braking with another rider saw him run wide at the first chicane and lose places. He finished eighth, and is now sixth overall, on 101 points. Team YZF Yamaha rider Shinichi Nakatomi was 13th in race one and 12th in race two, in two 18-lap contests with a host of non-finishers. This was also Nakatomi's best race of the 2008 season so far. Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) scored points in each race, posting 15th and 14th places. The team's stand in rider Michel Beck acquitted himself well, finishing race one 19th and race two 15th, scoring a point in only his second ever WSB Championship race. Noriyuki Haga (2nd and 1st - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In the first race I tried to ride 100% but the feel was not really there. We had a team meeting and we altered the chassis settings and suspension for race two. We got a better feeling and I could push everywhere. I could not calculate for the last few laps I just knew I had to keep in front of everyone. On the last lap I tried to brake hard into the last corner and then passed Kiyonari. I am really happy today because everybody in the garage made a good job, so my thanks go to them." Troy Corser (12th and 8th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I struggled to get a good set-up today and the bike didn't feel as fast as we hoped it would. The bike felt unbalanced so I found it difficult braking into corners, the tyre seemed to spin up more on exit making it harder to drive out. I just couldn't get comfortable with it. The bike was better in race two but it didn't really feel better." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "An unbelievable win for Noriyuki. His fender was touching his wheel and that was why we saw smoke coming from his machine a couple of times. We were all worried it was something else at one stage! We made the machine shorter between races and it seemed that the tyre was rubbing, but only sometimes. Nori rode really well today and we worked well to give him a winning bike. Troy had some problems that we could not get right for raceday. A huge thank you to everyone on the Yamaha team, we worked really hard at Monza this year, I'm very proud of the team." Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 12th - Team YZF Yamaha) "We changed the settings on the bike to make it easier. I made a mistake and lost positions in race one. In race two I had a good start but after five laps the rear tyre started to drop off. So we need to work on the electronics and the suspension to balance this." Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 32'2.851 2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'0.058 3, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'0.672 4, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'0.771 5, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'3.869 6, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'5.995 7, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'8.788 8, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'9.374 9, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'10.667 10, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'10.771 11, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'12.180 12, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'14.719 13, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'32.734 14, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'36.550 15, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'36.607 16, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'52.464 17, Luca Morelli, Honda, ITA, 0'56.929 18, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'27.543 19, Michael Beck, Yamaha, USA, 1'28.342 Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 32'7.576 2, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'0.009 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'0.051 4, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'4.489 5, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'10.272 6, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'10.376 7, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'10.496 8, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'12.498 9, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'19.429 10, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'26.373 11, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'26.544 12, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'26.895 13, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'27.761 14, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'29.661 15, Michael Beck, Yamaha, USA, 1'29.001 16, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, -3 Laps Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 1'45.882 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 194 2, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 116 3, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 112 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 111 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 107 6, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 101 7, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 90 8, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 65 9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 65 10, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 59 11, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 55 12, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 54 13, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 49 14, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 41 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 35 20, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 16 23, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 6 24, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 5 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 217 2, Yamaha, 171 3, Suzuki, 158 4, Honda, 135 5, Kawasaki, 44 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Foret wins in style at Monza Both Fabien Foret and Broc Parkes posted heroic performances in race conditions at Monza, with Foret taking his first win of the 2008 season, by 1.199 seconds, and Parkes finishing third. Parkes was unsure if he could even ride at all on Wednesday, so his podium finish, his second of the year, was an impressive performance from the tough Australian rider. Foret pulled through from fifth after an imperfect start to overhaul early leaders Josh Brookes and Parkes, and after taking a firm grip on the lead on lap nine the winning result was never really in doubt. Parkes had a pretty lonely race after putting up a spirited defence of his early leading position, fighting with Brookes for much of the time. He finished only six seconds from victory, and five seconds ahead of the next best rider, Andrew Pitt. Foret's win places him second in the championship on 71 points to Joan Lascorz's 77, with Parkes third on 65. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) had a fighting ride at his home track, taking seventh after riding in a group of warring riders, looking for fourth place. Yamaha Spain rider Angel Rodriguez had a solid tenth place but his team-mate David Salom just missed out on a point again, going 16th for the second race in succession. Fabien Foret (1st - 29'38.261 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I am very pleased to win here. After a tough time in round one at Qatar, I needed points - but I also wanted to win. This was my race; I love this track. I was a bit nervous after problems with my start in previous races so I didn't push it for a bit, but then it started to happen for me. I tried to push every lap from then on. There is still a long way to go in the championship but I am very happy with the win. A big thanks to the team!" Broc Parkes (3rd - +0'6.736 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I had an accident on my mountain bike a short while ago and my arm's still quite sore. That made it very difficult today. It was good for the first half of the race, but then it just got harder and harder to push under braking and during changes of direction. Considering how things were a few days ago, I'm happy to take the points and move forward." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We are very happy of course with Fabien's first win. He deserved it at the first race in Qatar, because he was fighting so hard for that first win in February, but it didn't happen. He had the whole package to win today and he made the most of it. We took lots of points from Lascorz and the championship is open again. Broc had a brave and fast ride. He tried to pull away to let him relax a little on the final laps but he couldn't, just because of his injured arm. A first and third today was a good result for the whole team." Massimo Roccoli (7th- +0'11.757 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "The race was not great and not bad, but for sure I could not get to the pace of the top three guys today, they were just too fast. I was a little disappointed not to get to the front of the group I was racing in at the finish." Angel Rodriguez: (10th - +0'15.175 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "Since yesterday I started to feel pain in my forearms. During the race, 6 or 7 laps to go, it was painful again so I settled for the 10th position. I didn't want to risk another crash like Assen, today it was important to finish. I tried to follow Lascorz but he had a little more rhythm and escaped, but at the end we finished almost together. Everything has been OK, team and bike has worked well." David Salom: (16th- +0'46.152 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "I was fighting with a riders group and I couldn't escape them. The rear tire slid a lot and it was impossible to find a rhythm. But anyway I think it would have been difficult to escape. In the last laps I was very slowly because we were fighting with each other so much." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 29'38.261 2, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'1.199 3, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'6.736 4, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 0'11.398 5, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'11.477 6, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 0'11.716 7, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'11.757 8, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'12.186 9, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'14.847 10, Angel Rodriguez, Yamaha, ESP, 0'15.175 11, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 0'21.256 12, Cristiano Migliorati, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'24.899 13, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'25.077 14, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'25.160 15, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'26.429 16, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'46.152 17, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'46.160 18, Mirko Giansanti, Honda, ITA, 0'46.192 19, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 0'46.262 20, Kev Coghlan, Honda, GBR, 0'46.327 21, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'46.509 22, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 0'57.599 23, Gregory Leblanc, Honda, FRA, 0'58.057 24, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 0'58.415 25, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Honda, ITA, 1'11.614 26, Luka Nedog, Honda, SVN, 1'19.957 27, Gergo Talmacsi, Honda, HUN, 1'19.985 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 1'50.430 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 77 2, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 71 3, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 65 4, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 63 5, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 63 6, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 49 7, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 41 8, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 39 9, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 28 10, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 26 11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 25 12, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 20 13, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 14, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 20 15, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 19 19, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 8 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 115 2, Yamaha, 96 3, Triumph, 30 4, Kawasaki, 24 5, Suzuki, 19 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Yamaha contenders taken out at Monza A promising race at Monza for top Yamaha qualifier Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) and his fellow R1 runners was ended at the first chicane, in a double crash, which also put out Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni YZF-R1) and Sylvain Barrier (YZF Yamaha Junior Team). No fewer than 11 riders were halted by the results of these crashes, with Corti and Pirro hit by a bike that ran across the infield as another incident took place behind. Claudio Corti (DNF - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I'm very depressed about this result because we were set for a good race until I got taken out. After a no score at Assen as well, the championship has become very difficult. We will try our best to get back into contention from Germany onwards." Michelle Pirro (DNF - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "After the first corner crash behind me I thought I had got away with it at the front, but then a Ducati came across the grass and knocked me off. The bike bashed into my groin and stomach very hard and that was it finished." A fantastic ride at Monza in the Superstock 600 European Championship for young YZF Yamaha Junior Team star Loris Baz. Having qualified on pole, the talented young rider went on to take the chequered flag at Monza in his debut season. This was his second win of the year, adding to his Valencia victory. Baz leads the championship with 61 points, a 19 point lead over second placed rider Daniele Beretta. Race 1 - 11 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 20'14.707 2, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 0'2.109 3, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'2.147 4, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 0'6.656 5, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'10.849 6, Fabrizio Perotti, Suzuki, ITA, 0'11.070 7, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'11.143 8, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'14.501 9, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 0'15.802 10, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 0'16.593 11, Aldo Aldrovandi, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'19.172 12, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 0'19.315 13, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'28.267 14, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 0'28.874 15, Jonathan Gallina, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'29.029 16, Roy Ten Napel, Suzuki, NED, 0'39.472 17, Michal Drobny, Honda, CZE, 0'41.145 18, Brank Srdanov, Yamaha, NED, 0'43.629 19, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 0'44.176 20, Robert Gianfardoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'44.609 21, Cameron Stronach, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'56.517 22, Denis Sacchetti, MV Agusta, ITA, 1'20.649 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 1'49.418 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 57 2, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 42 3, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 38 4, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 34 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 30 6, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 29 7, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 28 8, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 18 9, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 17 10, Fabrizio Perotti, Suzuki, ITA, 15 11, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 15 12, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 13 13, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 11 14, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 10 15, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 9 27, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 2 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Suzuki, 61 2, Honda, 54 3, Ducati, 54 4, Yamaha, 42 5, Kawasaki, 7 Click here to view the news

The fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place at one of the best circuits on the calendar this weekend as the visit to Sevlievo not only kicks the series back into life after a two week break but also initiates the first meeting of five in the first ever Women’s World Championship. Van Beers Yamaha’s Katherine Prumm, a double Women’s World Cup winner, is struggling for full fitness after rupturing her right ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) while practicing this week. Prumm has been based in Holland since mid-March and even attempted several meetings against male opposition as part of her preparation for this weekend. The news is a bitter blow to her ambitions although the lack of swelling means she will endeavour to compete at Sevlievo with a special brace and sufficient taping. “Everything had gone really well recently and I could not have been better prepared for the first Grand Prix,” she said. “I was three laps away from finishing my practice moto when I lost traction on the ramp of a jump which put me at 90 degrees. I came down at strange angle and my right leg was off the pegs and took most of the impact. I felt something go ‘pop’ and I knew pretty much right away what had happened. I could ride back but when I stopped I had some pain and could not straighten the leg.” “A scan revealed the broken ACL, thankfully it is not as bad as my left knee which I injured in 2006 but at the end of the season I will need a reconstruction,” she added. “Obviously it is not the way I wanted to start the world championship but I will try and do my best at the weekend and see what happens.” The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team – currently holding 1st and 3rd positions in the premier MX1-GP category thanks to their riders David Philippaerts and Josh Coppins respectively – will travel to the venue where they sampled victory with Coppins in 2007 and will also be following the progress of MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli after his dominant win in Portugal a fortnight ago and now who leads the class. World championship leader Philippaerts – the first Italian to head the MX1-GP series since its inception in 2004 – has been using the recent good weather in his native country to steadily train through the hiatus and claims that he will enjoy wearing the ‘red plate’ this weekend for the first time in his career. “We are only three rounds into fifteen so it does not mean much to lead the championship at this stage, but it does mean that we are competitive and it is always nice to look at the bike with the red plate on!” he said. “I’ve been riding in Italy and physically I feel fantastic, my confidence is good and I’m very pleased with how things are going.” Philippaerts finished 5th and 3rd last year at Sevlievo, which was his first encounter with the track on a 450cc machine. “It has similarities to some Italian tracks and has been hard and dry in the past,” he remarked “normally it is quite fun to race there and the riders are close in the times; it should be a good GP.” Coppins has spent the time after the Grand Prix of Portugal, where he seized third place and his first podium of the season by passing world champion Steve Ramon on the last corner of the final lap of the second moto, at his Belgian base recovering from a bout of flu. “I felt the flu coming thought it would disappear in a few days so I kept on riding and doing some training, which perhaps wasn’t the smartest move as the virus stuck around a bit longer, but I am more or less back to normal now,” he said. “Obviously I’m happy after the podium in Portugal and, more than just the result, the progress of my race fitness; to be strong like that at the end of the motos was really encouraging.” “I like the track, it’s fast and jumpy; my kind of place,” he added about Sevlievo. “I won last year and have also taken another podium a few years ago. The weather forecast is not the best so I really hope the rain stays off for us.” The impressive Sevlievo circuit has a copious hard-standing paddock, immaculate facilities and grandstands within the natural amphitheatre. The government-backed racecourse provides one of the premium examples of 21st century motocross. The track itself has a wide and fast layout with plenty of jumps and steep uphill and downhill drags; forging a lap-time of almost two minutes. The hot and sunny conditions of 2007 are likely to give way to a cooler Grand Prix for the 2008 edition (the third year in succession the world championship has visited Bulgaria) with even rainfall predicted on Saturday. Click here to view the news

Having flown straight back to Spain on Sunday night following his stunning ride to fourth place in Shanghai last weekend, Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo visited the Dexeus Institue in Barcelona on Monday morning for further examination by world-renowned specialist Dr. Xavier Mir. Dr. Mir, who had only operated on Lorenzo two weeks ago to relieve compartmental syndrome in his right forearm, was keen to carry out his own diagnosis on the injuries sustained during free practice for the Grand Prix of China, which the Clinica Mobile had treated to great effect in Shanghai in order to allow Lorenzo to ride. The injuries were confirmed to be slightly worse than first thought, especially to the right ankle, which was originally thought to have escaped fracture. A 3D CAT scan of both ankles revealed the following further injuries: - Fracture of the Astragalus in the right ankle (no displacement) - Torn lateral internal ligament in the left ankle Treatment now consists of a solid cast for Lorenzo’s right ankle and an elastic support for his left, temporarily confining him to a wheelchair. "Next Monday we will carry out more tests and make a detailed evaluation of the injuries suffered to both ankles,” commented Doctor Mir. Lorenzo lies second in the MotoGP World Championship after taking a victory, a second place, a third and a fourth from the opening four rounds. He now faces a battle to be fit for the next chapter of his incredible rookie story - the Grand Prix of France at Le Mans on 18th May. Click here to view the news

Chad Reed is the new 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross /FIM World Championship number one after registering his ninth victory of the season in front of more than 39,000 spectators at the Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas last weekend. The Australian, still recovering from a broken shoulder blade, went into the final round of seventeen with a ten point lead over main rival Kevin Windham but blitzed the field once more aboard his YZ450F to clinch his second crown in the class (the other obtained in 2004). Reed obtained his 13th podium of the season after an electric start that saw him pull through from outside the top five on the first lap to pass Windham and motor to the chequered flag by over six seconds. The track inside the Nevada venue was one of the longest and trickiest of the season but Reed coped with the pressure of seeing Windham take victory in the two previous races to produce a vintage and deserving performance when it counted. "I didn't really think about winning until I saw that Kevin [Windham] wasn't really riding away," he commented. "I didn't know what he was doing, or what his gameplan was, but I felt really confident from the Heat race that I had a lot more speed than him. It seemed like any time, I could just pull up right alongside of him, and I was stronger in the whoops. Then we made some changes to the bike to make it easier on me, and I just came out in the main event and knew I could ride a fast pace if I had to." "I'm a lot better now, but I still had to be careful, and it's the experience," he said regarding his fractured shoulder. "I've been there before, unfortunately. I broke my scapula before, and I knew that I needed to get through those first two weekends, and then I'd be a lot stronger." "Coming into the season, I knew I could be strong, and I knew that it was a race between James Stewart and I, and Kevin, but once James went out, the season got really tough," Reed added concerning his 2008 campaign. "I think I lost focus. Winning became really easy. I felt like I was on a roll, and no one was going to beat me. I just got too content. It was just becoming kind of easy, and I made mistakes." "Next year is a long way away, and there's a lot of stuff that needs to happen between now and then. I want to put my head down and just enjoy the experience. It's been a rough season, and there have been a lot of ups and downs. I just want to thank everybody." The 25 year old ends a comprehensive and record-breaking - but also difficult - season with a thirteen point gap over Windham. Josh Hill was fifth and Nathan Ramsey finished with seventh. Thanks to Jason Lawrence's title in the West Coast Lites division Yamaha have claimed championships in two of the three supercross classes in 2008. The AMA Motocross championship - in which Yamaha and the YZ450F are defending champions - begins at Glen Helen on May 25th. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 23'18.500 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'6.629 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'10.544 4, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'20.546 5, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'24.700 6, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 0'27.700 7, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 0'35.916 8, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0'46.244 9, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'65.687 10, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'70.010 11, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 13, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Kelly Smith, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 15, Ryan Clark, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Kevin W. Johnson, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 17, Tyler Bright, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Josh Hansen, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 19, Robbie Reynard, Honda, USA, -14 Laps 20, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -17 Laps Rider Standings 03/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 365 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 352 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 281 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 278 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 228 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 217 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 173 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 169 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 159 10, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 144 11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 144 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 130 13, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 109 14, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, 100 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 84 26, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 41, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 03/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 386 2, Honda, 374 3, Kawasaki, 296 4, Suzuki, 218 5, KTM, 163 Click here to view the news

It was another mixed weekend's racing for the Yamaha World Superbike Team at the famous TT circuit in Assen. An incredibly close first race Saw Ben Spies take the chequered flag a mere 0.154 seconds ahead of Championship rival Noriyuki Haga. Although initially the race leader, the American Yamaha rider had struggled to find a good race pace for most of the race, dropping back from first to third position on lap 11 behind race leader Haga and second place Leon Haslam. Spies tucked in and followed the pair until the three laps from the end of the race when he and Haslam spent three corners abreast in a heart stopping battle for second position. There was no daylight between the bikes as they exited turn five, Spies coming out the victor and setting off after Haga as the penultimate lap drew to a close. He attempted a pass on the hairpin where Haga had passed him earlier but failed to take top spot, eventually pulling a daring pass on the last corner he shot through to take the chequered flag. Tom Sykes enjoyed a good first race, starting from eighth on the grid the British rider made a strong pass up the inside on the first corner to move up into sixth position. The back straight then offered the opportunity to pass again and move up to fifth. Two laps later and another clever move up the inside on turn one saw Sykes into fourth position. He hung on with good race pace and held fourth for the chequered flag. Race two saw a difficult start and a lot of work to do. Sykes fought hard to make up places and briefly fought with Rea for fifth before settling for a sixth position finish. Spies leaves Assen still second in the championship with 120 points, trailing leader Haga by 60. Team-mate Sykes heads to Monza in sixth place in the standings with 70 points. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st,dnf) "We got the win in race one and everything was pretty good with that. It took me a while to find a good race pace but as the tyres started to go off I found it and we managed to make some moves, it was pretty exciting at the end, really fantastic racing with both Haslam and Haga. Race two I was feeling good, the bike, even only a lap and a half in, felt better than with the tyres in race one. I was pushing and got out wide in turn one and touched the Astroturf piece and high-sided. It's a shame as I felt really good and the bike felt right. You never know if you can win the race but I felt we could have had a faster race than the first. We'll build on it though, we had a good test in Monza so we're set up for there and I haven't hurt myself today so it's ok." Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (4th,6th) "The first race went ok, I was pretty pleased with the results. I managed to make a couple of passes early and move up but then lost some feeling in the front which held me back. Race two was not what I expected. I got a horrendous start and left myself a lot of work to do. I worked hard over the next few laps to make some passes but unfortunately let the front group get away. I was bitterly disappointed with that because I knew I could run with the front. I'd just like to thank all the boys for this weekend putting so much hard work in. We had two offs and I left them with some work to do but they came through and had my bikes ready for me to race." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager "The first race was unbelievable, Ben was really impressive and deserved the win. In the second race he had a bad high-side, and unfortunately missed the opportunity to challenge Nori for the second win. Tom had a good fourth in the first race and a good sixth in the second. He's coming along really well. I think he'll get the podium he's chasing soon. We're ready for Monza and confident of success." Circuit Length: 4555 Weather: Sunny Lap Record: 2'04.685 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'37.626 (Ben Spies, 26/04/2009) Last Years Winner: Troy Bayliss 2009 WSB The Netherlands - Assen 26/04/2009 Race 1 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Ben Spies    Yamaha    USA    36'31.338 2    Noriyuki Haga    Ducati    JPN    0'00.154 3    Leon Haslam    Honda    GBR    0'00.779 4    Tom Sykes    Yamaha    GBR    0'08.775 5    Max Biaggi    Aprilia    ITA    0'11.275 6    Jakub Smrz    Ducati    CZE    0'16.126 7    Jonathan Rea    Honda    GBR    0'19.555 8    Regis Laconi    Ducati    FRA    0'19.760 9    Michel Fabrizio    Ducati    ITA    0'23.006 10    Troy Corser    BMW    AUS    0'24.285 11    Shane Byrne    Ducati    GBR    0'26.003 12    Karl Muggeridge    Suzuki    AUS    0'27.814 13    Max Neukirchner    Suzuki    GER    0'36.962 14    Ruben Xaus    BMW    ESP    0'39.025 15    Ryuichi Kiyonari    Honda    JPN    0'41.505 19    David Checa    Yamaha    ESP    0'56.425 Race 2 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Noriyuki Haga    Ducati    JPN    36'31.712 2    Leon Haslam    Honda    GBR    0'02.678 3    Jakub Smrz    Ducati    CZE    0'04.603 4    Michel Fabrizio    Ducati    ITA    0'08.981 5    Jonathan Rea    Honda    GBR    0'12.104 6    Tom Sykes    Yamaha    GBR    0'14.575 7    Carlos Checa    Honda    ESP    0'17.449 8    Shane Byrne    Ducati    GBR    0'17.729 9    Max Neukirchner    Suzuki    GER    0'18.167 10    Troy Corser    BMW    AUS    0'25.056 11    Ruben Xaus    BMW    ESP    0'32.617 12    Yukio Kagayama    Suzuki    JPN    0'32.688 13    Brendan Roberts    Ducati    AUS    0'37.415 14    Matteo Baiocco    Kawasaki    ITA    0'55.088 15    Luca Scassa    Kawasaki    ITA    0'55.325 Best Lap Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time Leon Haslam    Honda    GBR    1'38.730 Rider Standings    26/04/2009 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Points 1.   Noriyuki Haga   Ducati   JPN   180 2.   Ben Spies   Yamaha   USA   120 3.   Leon Haslam   Honda   GBR   94 4.   Michel Fabrizio   Ducati   ITA   80 5.   Max Neukirchner   Suzuki   GER   75 6.   Tom Sykes   Yamaha   GBR   70 7.   Max Biaggi   Aprilia   ITA   65 8.   Regis Laconi   Ducati   FRA   64 9.   Jonathan Rea   Honda   GBR   53 10.   Jakub Smrz   Ducati   CZE   44 11.   Carlos Checa   Honda   ESP   40 12.   Shane Byrne   Ducati   GBR   39 13.   Yukio Kagayama   Suzuki   JPN   39 14.   Troy Corser   BMW   AUS   35 15.   Ryuichi Kiyonari   Honda   JPN   33 Manufacturer Standings    26/04/2009 Pos.    Manufacturer    Points 1.   Ducati   180 2.   Yamaha   145 3.   Honda   109 4.   Suzuki   76 5.   Aprilia   68 6.   BMW   43 7.   Kawasaki   10 RACE REPORT    26/04/2009 Crutchlow maintains championship lead in Assen Yamaha World Supersport riders Cal Crutchlow and Fabien Foret got caught up in the closest race of the 2009 World Supersport Championship so far. Intense racing and constant battles for position were the mainstay of the Supersport action. After a bad start Crutchlow worked hard to move back up the field, closely followed by team-mate Foret behind him. By lap six Crutchlow had made it to fourth, taking Sofuoglu for the position whilst Foret pushed on from seventh place. Lap seven saw Foret move up again behind his team-mate and the two then fought a close battle for position as they moved through the ranks to the top spot before dropping back again. Laverty was a constant presence during the battles, eventually slipping through to take the lead spot. A near miss between the two Yamaha riders into turn four when Crutchlow missed a gear and went wide, causing Fabien to run wide as well. Pitt then tried to take them both on the inside, losing the front and crashing out. Crutchlow then displayed the incredible race pace the fans are used to seeing, and three laps to the end pulled the fastest lap of the race, with a 1.40.836 while he chased Laverty. The battle continued to the flag, two laps before the end the riders touched but managed to stay on, Laverty eventually taking the chequered flag with Crutchlow a mere 0.107 seconds behind. Foret kept up his pace to finish in fourth, 1.777 seconds behind the race leader. Crutchlow leaves Assen still leading the championship by six points whilst Foret moves up to seventh position with 28 points. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team (2nd) "I had a bad start, I don't really know what happened, it was just unfortunate I felt like I was in neutral gear. I worked my hardest to get back through. Unfortunately Fabien and I got caught up together and it held us up a bit. Team Yamaha did a great job for me, we're here again on the podium and still leading the championship so it's all good. It was a fantastic job by Eugene Laverty, so well done to their team as well." Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team (4th) "I'm pretty happy and pleased to have got my confidence back. I had a good race, I'm just a bit disappointed with what happened with Cal, it was unavoidable but it held us both up and made it harder for me to challenge for a podium spot and a potential race win." Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager It was a very, very exciting race I can tell you that! With a second and a fourth place we are still leading the championship by six points with Cal. Both riders fought really hard today, Cal was especially fast at the end and Fabien has definitely found more of his confidence and previous race pace. We go to Monza in a good position and looking forward to extending our championship lead." Circuit Length: 4555 Weather: Sunny Lap Record: 2'08.865 (Katsuaki Fujiwara, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'40.313 (Cal Crutchlow, 26/04/2009) Last Years Winner: Andrew Pitt 2009 WSS The Netherlands - Assen 26/04/2009 Race 1 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Eugene Laverty    Honda    GBR    35'45.160 2    Cal Crutchlow    Yamaha    GBR    0'00.107 3    Joan Lascorz    Kawasaki    ESP    0'00.178 4    Fabien Foret    Yamaha    FRA    0'01.777 5    Kenan Sofuoglu    Honda    TUR    0'01.901 6    Mark Aitchison    Honda    AUS    0'05.492 7    Anthony West    Honda    AUS    0'12.551 8    Barry Veneman    Suzuki    NED    0'12.841 9    Robbin Harms    Honda    DNK    0'13.567 10    Michele Pirro    Yamaha    ITA    0'19.657 11    Patrick Vostarek    Honda    ITA    0'24.316 12    Gianluca Nannelli    Triumph    ITA    0'25.803 13    Massimo Roccoli    Honda    ITA    0'26.255 14    Katsuaki Fujiwara    Kawasaki    JPN    0'26.439 15    Garry McCoy    Triumph    AUS    0'44.902 19    Kevin Bos    Yamaha    NED    1'04.653 22    Yannick Guerra    Yamaha    ESP    1'08.389 23    Twan Van Poppel    Yamaha    NED    1'25.061 Best Lap Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time Cal Crutchlow    Yamaha    GBR    1'40.836 Rider Standings    26/04/2009 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Points 1.   Cal Crutchlow   Yamaha   GBR   74 2.   Eugene Laverty   Honda   GBR   68 3.   Kenan Sofuoglu   Honda   TUR   65 4.   Anthony West   Honda   AUS   52 5.   Andrew Pitt   Honda   AUS   43 6.   Mark Aitchison   Honda   AUS   34 7.   Fabien Foret   Yamaha   FRA   28 8.   Joan Lascorz   Kawasaki   ESP   27 9.   Barry Veneman   Suzuki   NED   25 10.   Matthieu Lagrive   Honda   FRA   25 11.   Michele Pirro   Yamaha   ITA   24 12.   Robbin Harms   Honda   DNK   23 13.   Massimo Roccoli   Honda   ITA   20 14.   Katsuaki Fujiwara   Kawasaki   JPN   13 15.   Garry McCoy   Triumph   AUS   12 20.   Doni Tata Pradita   Yamaha   IDN   1 Manufacturer Standings    26/04/2009 Pos.    Manufacturer    Points 1.   Honda   95 2.   Yamaha   74 3.   Kawasaki   38 4.   Suzuki   25 5.   Triumph   19 Click here to view the news

After it looked at one point on race-day as if the Grand Prix of Japan would be a complete washout, the sun broke through the dark clouds and streamed onto the Motegi circuit as the Fiat Yamaha team enjoyed a clean sweep of the top two spots. With qualifying having been cancelled yesterday due to the heavy rain, both riders started the race from the front row of the grid according to their times from Friday's free practice. Following a stunning race, Jorge Lorenzo took the glory of standing on the top step of the podium, after coming through a brilliant scrap with his team-mate Valentino Rossi, who finished a close second. Starting from third on the grid Lorenzo briefly lost a position on the first lap, but was soon back up to his starting spot as they crossed the line for the first time. With a superior pace to his compatriot Pedrosa it seemed as though the Mallorcan was being held up, and sure enough on lap three the Spaniard edged into second place. Once there he had the unenviable task of closing a two-second gap to his team-mate Rossi, but gradually edged nearer his colleague. The two enjoyed a good head-to-head fight, swapping positions at the V-corner before Lorenzo finally found a way past Rossi. From that point there was no looking back, and as Rossi was entangled in the battle with Pedrosa behind, Lorenzo sealed a glorious second victory in MotoGP. Leading from the first corner, Rossi had opened up the gap on the Spaniards in the early stages, but once Lorenzo had found a way past, it was Pedrosa who caused the champion most problems. With Pedrosa attacking on several occasions, the Italian was forced to keep his wits about him, but always seemed to have enough edge to keep ahead. The killer move come heading into the tunnel at turn five, and the race was decided as Rossi pulled away from Pedrosa in the latter stages. With Lorenzo leading the championship on 40 points, one ahead of Rossi, the MotoGP World Championship moves on to his home race at Jerez in just a week's time. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1stTime: 43'47.238 "First of all I just want to thank my team, my Mum, Dad and whole family, my friends and all the team workers. Also Yamaha, as it is their home race, it was a difficult race because I didn't really get a very good start, I think I even finished the first lap in third or fourth. After that I began to catch up the pace. I passed Valentino and opened up a little gap, about a second and a half, and he was following me very hard. I had to ride the best I can to get the victory." Valentino Rossi - Position: 2ndTime: + 1.304 "It was a great race, long, very difficult and also physical. I got a really good start from the front row, but there was a part of the race that I wasn't quite able to ride like I wanted, there was some kind of problem and I wasn't fast enough to pull away. I lost time from Jorge and then was involved in a battle with Dani and then in the last part of the race I was able to step up my pace and pick my lines, setting some good lap times. I tried to come back but unfortunately Lorenzo was too far away. It's a good race, second place is not a victory but it's still twenty points for the championship. I think the championship will become very interesting now because we have four riders ready to battle for wins at the end." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "I'm really happy about today's result, we didn't expect a victory, maybe we were just thinking about the podium, so I'm extremely happy. We did a great job on Friday and I think that was the key because we worked a lot around the harder tyre and in the end that was the good one. With the information and the data we collected, today we just had to do some fine-tuning to the bike and it has brought us this special victory, and we are able to show the world how strong Yamaha is. Jerez will be a great battle, like today it will be a big show and so i am looking forward to that event." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "First of all, congratulations to Jorge, who rode very well, and congratulations to Yamaha, because this result confirms the great job we have done in the last months. We are always very fast and for the second time this year we have two riders on the podium. Night or day, we are always there! Valentino took a very important second place, because our target is to be always there. Now we are looking forward to going back to Europe for a very important phase of the championship and it is crucial to start this time on top". Top ten for Toseland, Edwards fights back into points in Japan Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo James Toseland and Colin Edwards secured hard fought points-scoring finishes in Yamaha's home race at the Twin Ring Motegi today. British rider Toseland gave himself a welcome confidence boost with a determined ride to ninth place in the 24-lap encounter, which took place in windy but dry conditions after another weekend dominated by rain. Opting to run the softer compound Bridgestone tyre, Toseland made a storming start from the fourth row of the grid, crossing the line at the end of the first lap in seventh place. The 28-year-old secured his first top ten finish of the campaign with a superb attacking display in the final stages, holding off the persistent challenge of Chris Vermeulen and Randy de Puniet. American Edwards encountered a small problem in the early stages of the race but once he was able to demonstrate his true potential, the 35-year-old reeled off some blistering lap times. At times he ran the same pace as the top five as he fought his way through the field to a highly commendable 12th, setting the sixth fastest time in the race to miss out on a top ten finish by three seconds. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now heads to Jerez next weekend for the start of the European leg of the MotoGP world championship. James Toseland - Position: 9th Time: "I needed to be back in the top ten, so today was the step I've been looking for. We made a big step with the front-end setting on Friday in just the 45 minutes of dry track time we had this weekend and it helped me a lot. The comfort on the braking was much better and I was able to pass a couple of guys on the brakes today, which was good. I went for the soft rear tyre just because that's what I'd run most on Friday. We knew the soft one would go the distance, but it wouldn't be as strong in the latter stages of the race with the temperature being hotter today. But I didn't want to take any risks by running the harder compound, particularly as we knew it would take a couple of laps to get to temperature. In the early part of the race I had quite a bit more grip than some of the guys and I might have been able to pass (Casey) Stoner and (Loris) Capirossi) if I was more comfortable with the bike on a full fuel load. That would have pushed me a bit further up earlier in the race when I had an advantage with the softer tyre. It was a good battle on the last lap with Vermeulen. He passed me briefly at the end of the back straight, but I managed to keep him at bay. I'm happy for my team because they've stood behind me and everybody has kept their morale up, and now we've got a result we can build on." Colin Edwards - Position: 12th Time: "That was not at all what I expected but I can't turn the clock back. I wish I could because I believe I could have fought for the podium. We had a small issue at the start of the race and I simply couldn't ride how I wanted to. I kept my head down and persevered throughout and perhaps a few more laps I could have chased down the guys in front for a top ten. I couldn't have ridden any harder today and I did my absolute best for Yamaha. I was really confident going into the race because I was one of the few guys who had done a lot of laps on the harder compound tyre in the dry on Friday. So with the track temperature coming up a lot compared to how cool it was on Friday, I felt that experience we gained would really help. When I got going in the race my lap times were as quick as the top five, so it's a case of wondering what might have been today. We'll look to bounce back in Jerez next weekend because I feel like I'm riding really well." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "We obviously had higher expectations but I'm pleased that both James and Colin showed their determination throughout the race. It was good to see James fighting strongly in the top ten and this result will have given his confidence a big boost. He has had a difficult winter and first race, but he's remained incredibly focused and this is a good platform for him to build on for the rest of the season. I'd also like to thank Colin for his efforts today in difficult circumstances. He had a problem before the start and we are still investigating the cause with Yamaha. But his pace in the second half of the race was very impressive, so we know that Colin is in very good form heading into Europe. I'd like to say big congratulations to Yamaha for its one-two in front of the Japanese fans. It shows the YZR-M1 is a very strong package and that Yamaha is the brand to beat again in 2009." Circuit Length: 4801 Temp: 22 Weather: Dry Lap Record: 1'47.968 (Loris Capirossi, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'45.543 (Jorge Lorenzo, 28/09/2008) Last Years Winner: Valentino Rossi 2009 MotoGP Japan - Motegi 26/04/2009 Race 1 - 24 Laps Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Jorge Lorenzo    Yamaha    ESP    43'47.238 2    Valentino Rossi    Yamaha    ITA    0'01.304 3    Daniel Pedrosa    Honda    ESP    0'03.763 4    Casey Stoner    Ducati    AUS    0'05.691 5    Andrea Dovizioso    Honda    ITA    0'09.207 6    Marco Melandri    Kawasaki    ITA    0'30.555 7    Loris Capirossi    Suzuki    ITA    0'32.756 8    Mika Kallio    Ducati    FIN    0'39.416 9    James Toseland    Yamaha    GBR    0'43.106 10    Chris Vermeulen    Suzuki    AUS    0'43.245 11    Randy De Puniet    Honda    FRA    0'44.834 12    Colin Edwards    Yamaha    USA    0'46.540 13    Alex De Angelis    Honda    SMR    0'53.525 14    Niccolo Canepa    Ducati    ITA    1'21.804 Rider Standings    26/04/2009 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Points 1.   Jorge Lorenzo   Yamaha   ESP   41 2.   Valentino Rossi   Yamaha   ITA   40 3.   Casey Stoner   Ducati   AUS   38 4.   Andrea Dovizioso   Honda   ITA   22 5.   Daniel Pedrosa   Honda   ESP   21 6.   Colin Edwards   Yamaha   USA   17 7.   Mika Kallio   Ducati   FIN   16 8.   Chris Vermeulen   Suzuki   AUS   15 9.   Alex De Angelis   Honda   SMR   13 10.   Marco Melandri   Kawasaki   ITA   12 11.   Randy De Puniet   Honda   FRA   11 12.   Loris Capirossi   Suzuki   ITA   9 13.   James Toseland   Yamaha   GBR   7 14.   Toni Elias   Honda   ESP   7 15.   Nicky Hayden   Ducati   USA   4 Manufacturer Standings    26/04/2009 Pos.    Manufacturer    Points 1.   Yamaha   45 2.   Ducati   38 3.   Honda   27 4.   Suzuki   18 5.   Kawasaki   12 Click here to view the news

The Yamaha Austria Racing Team took their first victory of the endurance season on the new 2009 YZF-R1 at Le Mans yesterday. In what was one of the most intense Le Mans Endurance races for some time, YART riders Steve Martin, Igor Jerman and Gwen Giabbani battled flawlessly through difficult racing conditions including heavy rain for nearly 20 hours and a very damp track to take the chequered flag. The YART team took victory with a clear seven lap advantage over the second placed Honda France team. Most competitor teams suffered crashes and incidents due to the adverse weather, making YART’s victory The team rode the new for 2009, Moto GP derived Yamaha YZF-R1, building on the racing success already being seen in the hands of Ben Spies in World Superbike. The new machine proved the perfect tool to handle the difficult conditions with its unique crossplane crankshaft design giving the riders essentially smoother torque and more useable power to get through and out of the slippery corners of the Le Mans circuit. Gwen Giabbani, Yamaha Austria Racing Team “Finally after 11 years of not winning! Igor waited 11 years for his second victory, for me it’s my first. There were no issues with the fantastic performance of the bike, and we lost very little time in stops. There were no crashes to be regretted, everything was perfect.” Steve Martin, Yamaha Austria Racing Team “It’s absolutely incredible to win here on my second time at the 24HR. The bike performed faultlessly which made the whole race easier. My team-mates both performed unbelievably, we made the right steps at the right times which gave us an advantage. We were then able to put pressure on the other teams and forced them to make mistakes. I want to dedicate this win to my life-long friend and mentor Peter Kerr who passed away this weekend, making this an exceptionally hard weekend’s racing for me. ” Igor Jerman, Yamaha Austria Racing Team “I’ve had to wait 11 years to win the Le Mans 24HR Moto. This year the team was very well prepared with the new Yamaha bike and we also changed tyres to Michelins which were great. We need to make some small changes for the next race but our result here was very good.” Mandy Kainz, Yamaha Austria Racing Team Manager “Everyone who’s dedicated to Endurance racing wants to win this race once in his life. I can hardly believe that we actually managed to do it. Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani worked together as a proper team and had hardly any problems. Heavy rain, especially at night caused a lot of dramatic scenes. In the crucial phase of the race my boys managed to capitalize on their experience. I have to give them a lot of respect, they weren’t only the fastest out there but managed to ride faultlessly.” Click here to view the news

With just two rounds to go in the 2009 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) LandM San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart has moved to the top of the standings after scoring the runner-up position last Saturday at the Qwest Field in Seattle. The Floridian recovered from a poor start to run through the field and scoop 22 points for his 13th rostrum appearance so far in the seventeen-race schedule. Stewart's night of hard work and decent race-craft on the YZ450F across a sandy and rough track on the west coast was further buoyed by the news that main title rival Chad Reed could only take 7th place - his worst finish of the season - after a first turn tumble. The 23 year old gained nine positions in fifteen laps after being held up around a tight opening corner. "They told me how far I was back - fifteenth or something like that - and it was crazy," he recalls. "I bent my clutch lever as soon as I got hit in that first corner, and it was just like, 'Man, just try to stay up.' The first couple laps were carnage, with guys trying to pass each other. I'm pretty stunned that I was able to come up and get second because I saw how far ahead those guys were." Stewart had trailed the Australian by five points coming to Seattle but the classification from Saturday evening mean that the pair have swapped positions at the top of the championship standings and the Yamaha rider has a 3 point advantage with only trips to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas in the next two weeks left to run. "We've had 15 races and I've been in the points lead twice now," said Stewart who is still hoping to be the first rider to give Yamaha 11 victories in one season (he currently has 10 and a career total of 35). "At the end of the day, it's for the championship. It's all about the championship right now. I've won a lot of races this year, and I always found myself in second place in the points - always catching up - so it feels good to be in the points lead, but we've got a long way to go still." Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant took 6th position on his YZ450F and is 4th in the points table. The penultimate round of the 2009 campaign will take place next Saturday at the Rice Eccles Field in Salt Lake City. Circuit Length: n/a Crowd: 50, 016 Weather: Dry Last Years Winner: Kevin Windham 2009 AMA-SX Seattle, WA 19/04/2009 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Ryan Villopoto    Kawasaki    USA    18'28.902 2    James Stewart    Yamaha    USA    0'07.873 3    David D Millsaps    Honda    USA    0'09.359 4    Mike Alessi    Suzuki    USA    0'10.735 5    Andrew Short    Honda    USA    0'23.027 6    Josh Grant    Yamaha    USA    0'29.702 7    Chad Reed    Suzuki    AUS    0'38.537 8    Paul Carpenter    Kawasaki    USA    0'43.705 9    Ivan Tedesco    Honda    USA    0'47.632 10    Kevin Windham    Honda    USA    0'52.394 11    Nicholas Wey    Yamaha    USA    0'54.538 12    Heath Voss    Honda    USA    1'06.764 13    Thomas Hahn    Kawasaki    USA    -1Laps 15    Jason Thomas    Honda    USA    -1Laps 16    Kyle Chisholm    Yamaha    USA    -1Laps Rider Standings    18/04/2009 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Points 1.   James Stewart   Yamaha   USA   332 2.   Chad Reed   Suzuki   AUS   329 3.   Andrew Short   Honda   USA   241 4.   Josh Grant   Yamaha   USA   208 5.   Kevin Windham   Honda   USA   204 6.   Mike Alessi   Suzuki   USA   203 7.   Ivan Tedesco   Honda   USA   199 8.   Ryan Villopoto   Kawasaki   USA   190 9.   David D Millsaps   Honda   USA   188 10.   Josh Hill   Yamaha   USA   146 11.   Tim Ferry   Kawasaki   USA   100 12.   Heath Voss   Honda   USA   95 13.   Matt Boni   Suzuki   USA   83 14.   Nicholas Wey   Yamaha   USA   80 15.   Kyle Chisholm   Yamaha   USA   79 18.   Broc Hepler   Yamaha   USA   70 20.   Jason Lawrence   Yamaha   USA   43 30.   Nathan Ramsey   Yamaha   USA   15 38.   Sean Hamblin   Yamaha   USA   3 Manufacturer Standings    18/04/2009 Pos.    Manufacturer    Points 1.   Yamaha   363 2.   Suzuki   333 3.   Honda   280 4.   Kawasaki   235 5.   KTM   73 Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd has signed a three-year agreement with PETRONAS that will see the Malaysian national oil and gas corporation become an important new Official Sponsor and Premium Partner of the Fiat Yamaha Team. Under the new partnership, the Fiat Yamaha Team will carry the PETRONAS branding on the team’s liveries, including on the bikes of riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo as well as team equipment and material. The two parties are also partners in sporting collaborations in motorcycle championships in the Asia Pacific region for over eight years. The partnership will lead to the future extension of the existing business relationship in Malaysia into the South-East Asian region for the development and production of Yamalube engine oil for Yamaha OEM vehicles. For PETRONAS, the latest collaboration with Yamaha will enable it to continue building the position of its international lubricants business through a strategic partnership with another globally successful manufacturer and brand. “This is a very exciting development for Yamaha and for the sport of MotoGP,” commented Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Yamaha and PETRONAS already have a successful business relationship away from racing, and this new, long-term, business partnership will see the ties between the two multi-national companies strengthened further. It is especially good to see a global company of PETRONAS’ stature making the decision to enter into our sport at this difficult time and we look forward to working hand in hand with them to develop a long and mutually beneficial relationship.” The new livery of the Fiat Yamaha Team riders and bikes with PETRONAS branding will be seen for the first time on Friday April 10th as the riders begin free practice for the 1st GP event - the night race in Qatar on Sunday April 12th. Click here to view the news

We are writing to you about some important changes to your free Basic membership level during this new year. These changes reflect our community's adjustment to current supporting expenses and are designed to continue our goal of offering the best possible services and benefits while maintaining our status as a not for profit community.  The following changes will be enacted on March 1st, 2009 at 00:00 GMT:  1) Access to the Yamaha Club Photo Gallery, Bike Garage and for sale/wanted sections will be exclusive to paid professional members.  2) Users with free membership will have limited access to the Yamaha forums, e.g. not having access to the for sale/wanted sections.  Why you should upgrade your membership:  50% OFF Limited time offer: During the next 4 weeks existing users with free membership will be able to upgrade to Professional registration for only £5.00.  Additional benefits for Professional users: It may be important for your decision to know that we are providing additional benefits to contributing members, among those benefits is receiving discounts from suppliers and manufacturers, free classified posting in forums, private forums etc. Right now Professional members can take advantage of:  5% Off EveryAccessory.co.uk 10% Off Wilbers 10% Off Opie Oils 20% Off VEYPOR Digital Dashes Further benefits (Functionality, services & products) will be introduced soon. We are currently having talks with other companies such as Busters and M&P Direct and hope to have a solid proposition in the next few days. You can upgrade at any time by going to “My Controls > Options > Purchase Paid Subscriptions” From the 1st April Professional membership will cost £10.00 If you decide _not_ to take advantage of this discount upgrade offer before the expiration date, you can always reactivate your account at a later time.  As a Professional member you support the community and you have access to additional features and we recommend you to upgrade today. You can do so by going to “My Controls > Options > Purchase Paid Subscriptions” Thank you for participating in the Yamaha Owners Club Community. Click here to view the news

Stewart shares AMA series lead after sixth win After a first round DNF, LandM San Manuel Yamaha rider James Stewart has cut back a 23 point deficit and now joint-leads the 2009 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) after recording his sixth consecutive victory in San Diego last Sunday. Â The 23 year old Floridian notched his 31st career AMA success at the Qualcomm Stadium in southern California and thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant's win at Anaheim I in early January, the YZ450F remains unbeaten after seven meetings in the seventeen race competition. Stewart - competing at the scene of his first of his 31 triumphs in 2002 - grabbed the holeshot and proceeded to establish a margin over reigning champion Chad Reed, who would go on to finish second to the Yamaha rider for the sixth time. Â "I think a lot of people wouldn't have thought, after Anaheim I, that I could be leaving California for the east coast tied for the points lead, but it's a testament to my team and the work they put in every week," said Stewart. "They worked their butts off to make me comfortable, and I really do feel comfortable now. The track was definitely tough. I just had some good luck. The track was slick, but, man, this San Manuel Yamaha was awesome. I can't wait for Atlanta!" Yamaha are the most prolific manufacturer at the San Diego meeting, having claimed 13 of the 26 main events held so far in the city. Â For the first time this season Josh Grant was not able to finish in the top five. The rookie slipped off in the first corner and was recovering positions through the pack when he 'cased' a jump and hit his throat on the bars, forcing his retirement. Â Round eight will take place in the confines of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. If Stewart or another YZ450F racer takes the chequered flag then Yamaha will equal their streak of eight successive wins record in 2000. Â Click here to view the news

Unstoppable Stewart takes fifth consecutive win  Round six of the 2009 AMA Supercross series and the third and final stop in the Anaheim stadium, Los Angeles, was the scene of LandM San Manuel Yamaha rider James Stewart's latest triumph and his fifth win in a row. The 23 year old's imperious streak of success continues on the YZ450F and his masterful escape to victory from gate-to-flag means that Yamaha maintain their 100% record in the current campaign as Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant claimed the opening event.  The 51st Main at Anaheim witnessed Yamaha's 18th collection of the winner's garland and thanks to Grant's sensational debut effort they have swept the LA trio of races.  Stewart's latest accomplishment came after another electric start in which he was able to front the field and keep Chad Reed at bay, despite a greasy surface from rainfall before and during the action. The distance between the two protagonists fluctuated throughout the twenty minute duration but the AMA Motocross champion was never viably threatened and celebrated his 30th SX career victory when he crossed the line.  "I saw Chad behind me. We stayed the same distance, then I pulled away and soon got caught up with the lappers; he came close again and it was good racing. I think, for me, it was kind of tough because the lappers were battling each other and I knew he was following close behind, but hey,it was a great race. I put myself in the best position and I was able to get a win," said the victor, who passed everyone up to 6th position.  With 5th spot in Los Angeles '09 Rookie Grant sustained his run of top five finishes. He had been circulating as high as third when he suffered a nasty-looking crash. Grant recovered to fifth in a determined ride but had some chest pain after the race. He stays third in the table, 16 points behind Stewart.  Stewart was initially 19 points adrift of standings leader Reed after his surprising DNF at round one. He has closed the gap to just 3 as Reed has chased him into the runner-up position for the last five meetings.  Round seven takes place next week in the confines of the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.   Race 1 - 20 Laps                Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time  1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 20'42.523 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'3.386 3, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 1'9.106 4, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 1'10.212 5, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 1'24.661 6, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 7, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 8, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 9, Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 10, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps 11, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, -2 Laps 12, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 13, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, -2 Laps 14, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps 15, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 16, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 17, Daniel McCoy, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 18, Josh Hansen, Honda, USA, -4 Laps 19, Thomas Hahn, Kawasaki, USA, -15 Laps 20, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -16 Laps   Rider Standings 07/02/2009  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 130 2, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 127 3, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 111 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 102 5, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 91 6, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 88 7, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 82 8, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 75 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 68 10, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 67 11, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 64 12, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 46 13, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 45 14, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 32 15, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 31    Manufacturer Standings 07/02/2009  Pos., Manufacturer, Points  1, Yamaha, 150 2, Suzuki, 130 3, Honda, 114 4, Kawasaki, 101 5, KTM, 13 Click here to view the news

Fiat Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo rounded off the first test of the 2009 season in strong style, with the Italian finishing second, less than one tenth off Casey Stoner. His Spanish team-mate was seventh and inside the lap record pace for the first time this week.  Rossi continued to focus mainly on electronics on the last day as he looked to fine-tune the 2009 M1 step-by-step. With the stitches in his hand and foot he decided not to attempt a long-run, but was able to improve on his time from previous days by half a second and recorded a best lap of 2’01.137.  Lorenzo had struggled to find confidence on the first two days of tests but on the final day found his rhythm with the new Bridgestone tyres. He was delighted to complete a long-run of 22 laps and his best lap of the day, in a time of 2’01.907, was over a second quicker compared to previous times during this test.  The next stop for the team is a night test at Doha in Qatar on 1st, 2nd and 3rd February. Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 2'01.137 Laps: 43 I am leaving this place feeling happy, because we’ve made a good start. Everything went well: my pain is less, the bike is good and I am feeling better and better. We finished everything we wanted to do on the bike and the setting and the rhythm is quite good. The lap time is fast so we have made a good start. We didn’t do the long run, but actually we didn’t need to. Without my injury maybe it would have been possible, but in this situation we decided to leave it. My injuries are getting better each day because they’re only cuts and they’re healing fast. I don't think that they made much difference to my speed here and by the Qatar test I will be back in perfect shape. I did the fastest lap today with the hard Bridgestone tyre, so it means that the bike is good. For sure we need to improve some more but since this year we have less testing, this performance has been very important. The first test of the year is always difficult, even if you trained a lot in the winter, so I am happy! Qatar will be interesting, because last year we weren’t strong there, but then last year the bike was not yet ready when we went to the first race in Doha. I am really looking forward to the next text there.”  Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 7th Time: 2'01.907 Laps: 61 “I am very happy because I’ve seen how fast I can ride with the Bridgestone tyres. Today has definitely been the best day for me at this opening test of the year. Also, we have been able to do a long run in hot conditions with 32 degrees (36 in the afternoon!), and I was able to finish 22 laps without stopping.I was tired when I finished but it was incredible; the rhythm was good and my best lap was right at the end, when I did a 2’01.9. This means that I have improved over a second since yesterday and we have made a big step forward. We need kilometres under our belt and we’ve got some week! All the team worked hard up until the last minute and now they will keep going so we can try to go even better in Qatar next month. We have to continue in the same way as today, improving all the time, because we don’t have that much time until the first race!”  Davide Brivio - Team Manager “The bike is going well and we have made a good start. We are just working hard, mainly on electronics, and the set-up process is going well. This bike was created to run with Bridgestone tyres, after the experience Valentino had with Bridgestone last year, so it should be better than the 2008 bike. Today we made a short run with both the hard and the soft tyres, in order to understand how they work. It is very important because you need to understand what tyre you need to make the best qualifying times, harder or softer. At the Qatar GP last year we had the most problems of the season, so I am looking forward to going there for the next test and seeing how much we have improved in the last year! It will be very interesting to see what level we have achieved.”  Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "Today Jorge made a big improvement compared to the first two days. He mainly concentrated on adapting his riding style to the Bridgestone tyres and finally found more confidence going into the turns. Then the team tried some little changes to the chassis set-up and found some improvement and Jorge did a race simulation during which he showed a very good pace. He set the best time of the simulation, a 2.01.917, on the last lap. Now we are waiting to test in Qatar where last year we had a fantastic race; hopefully we will find ourselves in good shape there again!"  Test Times 1.   Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team    2'01.043 2.   Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team    2'01.137 3.   Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP    2'01.262 4.   Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha    2'01.413 5.   Toni Elias (SPA) Team San Carlo    2'01.560 6.   Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP    2'01.666 7.   Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team    2'01.907 8.   Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda    2'01.955 9.   Mika Kallio (FIN) Alice Team    2'02.386 10.   Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team    2'02.497 11.   Alex De Angelis (RSM) Team San Carlo    2'02.523 12.   Sete Gibernau (SPA) Grupo Francisco Hernando    2'02.727 13.   Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP    2'03.418 14.   Yuki Takahashi (JPN) Scot Racing Team    2'03.474 15.   Niccolo Canepa (ITA) Alice Team    2'03.901 16.   James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha    2'03.953 17.   Yamaha Test Rider 1 (JPN) Yamaha Factory Racing    2'04.328 18.   Yamaha Test Rider 2 (JPN) Yamaha Factory Racing    2'04.614  Sepang: Record Lap  Casey Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2'02.108  Sepang: Best Lap  V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2'00.605 Click here to view the news

The 2009 Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team was officially presented to press and partners in Italy this week. The forthcoming FIM World Championship will see the successful squad entering new ground with their priorities aligned to the premier MX1-GP category for the first time. After two MX2-GP world championships in the last four years with the YZ250F, De Carli – with riders Antonio Cairoli and Tanel Leok – has been applying his technical tuning expertise to the YZ450F for an attempt at the crown that Yamaha has owned for all but one of the five years since the inception of the class.  Many eyes will be on the full-time maiden MX1-GP season of former double MX2 champion Cairoli who sensationally won the 2007 British Grand Prix in a one-off wild-card appearance with a near-standard YZ450F. The Sicilian has been working and training diligently to master the physical demands of the larger machine over the winter and is now hungry to take to the start gate for the first time since rupturing his knee ligaments at the 2008 South African Grand Prix; an injury that ruined his quest for a third MX2-GP title. Cairoli is also the defending MX1 Italian champion in 2009.  Tanel Leok – winner of the 2008 Irish Grand Prix – begins his sixth season in MX1 and his first with the YZ450F. The strong and aggressive Estonian is expecting to add to his impressive tally of six GP podiums.  With a long and impressive heritage in the MX2-GP division (formerly 125cc) De Carli has not abandoned his roots and teenager Alessandro Lupino will begin his second year with the team after showing encouraging results during the latter half of 2008.  “We have been a world championship team since 1995 and often with good results.It gives me great satisfaction that now, following the maturing of our athletes such as Cairoli, we can enter the premier class with full commitment and logistic strength; this is mainly thanks to our technical partners,” said Team Principal Claudio de Carli.  "Tony will be making his first season in MX1 and will need to acclimatise himself but he is a fast learner,” he continued. “Tanel already has some years of experience and arrived in the team with a lot of motivation to improve and to reach top results.We will also continue to help Alessandro grow in MX2.I am convinced that with our technicians, riders and contributors, we have created a solid group and we are determined to continue to do well." Click here to view the news

James Stewart raced to his third straight victory in just his fourth appearance in the AMA Supercross series with the San Manuel LandM YZ450F Yamaha. The 23 year old conquered the fourth round of the 2009 contest (also an FIM World Championship) at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas; the first time the '09 competition had left the west coast of the USA.  In front of a little more than 48,000 spectators Stewart started reasonably well and was fourth around the opening turns. He needed another two laps before he relegated Ryan Villopoto and was then able to control the remaining 17 circulations in the 16 minute sprint.  The 2009 edition was the 44th Supercross meeting to be held in Houston with Pierre Karsmakers winning the inaugural event in 1974 with a Yamaha. Stewart's success increased Yamaha's tally to 15 triumphs in the State since the mid-1970s. In taking the chequered flag he also registered the 27th AMA SX win of his career.  "The bike was definitely better this weekend," he said. "I just felt more comfortable when we first got here, and we changed some stuff, and it's coming along. I think it was definitely a better weekend for me, and I'm just going to try and keep on improving and see what happens."  Supercross class rookie Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant finished fifth to maintain his streak of a top five finish in each round so far. "I told myself coming into this season that I wanted to be top-five every weekend, and so far, I've been better than that," he reflected. "We had two good races at the beginning, and that's about it, but the last two tracks, I haven't really felt comfortable on, so for me to not feel comfortable on a track and still get top-five and still ride the way I've been riding is good."  Stewart has risen from fourth to second in the standings and now lies just 9 points behind leader Reed. Grant is in third place but level on points with his brand-mate.  Round five takes place next weekend at the ATandT Park in San Francisco.   Race 1 - 20 Laps                Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time  1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 16'45.374 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'9.787 3, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 0'14.364 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'18.490 5, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 0'24.809 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'28.060 7, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 0'31.428 8, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'33.838 9, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'40.082 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'42.851 11, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'44.486 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 0'54.668 13, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 14, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 17, Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 18, Charles Summey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 19, Manuel Gomes Rivas, Kawasaki, ESP, -2 Laps 20, Josh Hansen, Honda, USA, -2 Laps   Rider Standings 24/01/2009  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 86 2, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 77 3, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 77 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 71 5, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 68 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 62 7, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 56 8, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 53 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 46 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 42 11, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 37 12, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 37 13, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 30 14, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 26 15, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 22    Manufacturer Standings 24/01/2009  Pos., Manufacturer, Points  1, Yamaha, 100 2, Suzuki, 86 3, Honda, 78 4, Kawasaki, 70 5, KTM, 13 Click here to view the news

World Supersport rookie Cal Crutchlow performed brilliantly at his second ever test ride on the Yamaha World Supersport machine. The young British rider battled high winds and adverse weather conditions to finish the three day test an impressive second place overall, less than a tenth of a second off fastest rider Lascorz with a time of 1’45.214. French team mate Fabien Foret proved that any demons from his crash in 2008 had been put firmly to rest, finishing the test with a competitive time of 1’46.036, less than a second from his new team mate.  Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team “I enjoyed the test although I was a little bit disappointed with the weather. We wanted to get quite a lot done but didn’t manage to get as much as we would have liked due to the changing conditions. We won’t be out testing again now before Australia so the final test there will be a crucial one for us. Our time here in Portugal has proved we’re up there in the championship and highly competitive. The team are working really well with me, we understand each other really well and I’m working well with the R6 too. It’s been good for me and I’m looking forward to the next session.”  Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team "It’s been wet in the mornings and half dry in the afternoon, for me it’s pointless to push too hard in these conditions. We tried to work as much as possible on the second day and we found a pretty good bike for me. I was getting the confidence back, it was getting easier to relax on the bike and I got up to fourth until a few minutes before the end when the other riders switched to fresh tires for a fast lap. My speed is back and my confidence too, I am back to how I was before my crash last year. I’m very happy, not just about the tests but about myself. I knew I would get my speed back and I was sure I would be fine but it’s good to actually see it for real!”  Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager “Of course we were not really pleased with the weather, we had only 70 or 80 laps for both riders over the three days. We are quite pleased with the final results though. Fabien improved a lot over the last test in Portimao, in the first three splits he was as fast as the top guys. We are really pleased as we know after a big crash you have to see if everything is ok, but he’s able to give 110 percent. Cal was consistently fast,there are no technical problems at all. I think it will be close racing this year but I’m confident we can fight for the championship. We have a very competitive package and we’re looking forward to the season. There are some very strong riders but we have two of them!” Click here to view the news

James Stewart scored his second win from three races in the seventeen round 2009 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) onboard his San Manuel LandM YZ450F by owning the 50th meeting to be held at the Anaheim Stadium in Los Angeles last Saturday.  The AMA Motocross Champion took Yamaha's 17th success at the venue and also increased his personal triumph tally to 27; equalling Bob Hannah in 5th place on the all-time victory roll.  Despite the impressive numbers Anaheim II was a hard meeting for the 23 year old. He collided with Travis Preston during practice and badly cut his hand, he then admitted that he made mistakes and wasn't riding well during the race that was watched by over 43,000 people.  On a track that was not easy for overtaking Stewart needed half of the 20 laps to pass Ivan Tedesco, Ryan Villopoto and then impressive Rookie and fellow Yamaha rider Josh Grant. Two circulations later and he demoted Kevin Windham for the lead and would hold the advantage to the chequered flag. Chad Reed had recovered from a first corner crash to make his way to second place, therefore limiting Stewart's points gain in the standings. Grant held on for fifth place and has yet to drop out of the top five in the first three events.  "It was a tough weekend for me as far as getting adjusted to the track," Stewart admitted. "Also, physically, it was definitely tough for me. But if we can get wins like this, I can't imagine what it will be like when things go smoothly; maybe we can do even better."  Stewart is now up to fourth in the series, 12 points from the top, while Grant is second and just 3 points from reigning champion Reed.  Round 4 takes place next Saturday at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.   Race 1 - 20 Laps                Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time  1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 20'57.778 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'3.540 3, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'4.189 4, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 0'10.181 5, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 0'16.036 6, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'21.941 7, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'31.473 8, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'41.525 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 0'45.931 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'47.333 11, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 0'49.146 12, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'51.536 13, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 0'53.474 14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 0'91.522 15, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 17, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 18, Sean Hamblin, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 19, Robert Kiniry, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 20, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, -18 Laps   Rider Standings 17/01/2009  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 64 2, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 61 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 53 4, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 52 5, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 48 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 47 7, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 43 8, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 41 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 32 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 31 11, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 29 12, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 27 13, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 26 14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 21 15, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 17    Manufacturer Standings 17/01/2009  Pos., Manufacturer, Points  1, Yamaha, 75 2, Suzuki, 64 3, Honda, 60 4, Kawasaki, 50 5, KTM, 10 Click here to view the news

Yamaha continued their streak of victories in the AMA Supercross Championship (also an FIM World Championship) as Joe Gibbs RacingTeam's Josh Grant surprisingly took his YZ450F to first place at the opening round of seventeen in the 2009 campaign at Anaheim in Los Angeles last Saturday. 2008 champion Chad Reed clinched the last race of 2008 and Grant beat both the Australian, and pre-event favourite - and new Yamaha recruit - James Stewart to the chequered flag.  It was a dramatic first AMA outing for Stewart as part of the title-winning L and M San Manuel squad. In front of a bumper collective of 42,309 spectators, the 23 year old took the holeshot in the main event and pull away from the pack with Reed in pursuit. The pair swapped the lead before a collision caused both to hit the dirt. Stewart's bike was hit by the pursuing Kevin Windham and he was unable to restart, pulling out of the sprint after just six laps.  Grant was running in third position prior to the Stewart-Reed incident and fronted the pack for the rest of the race for a sensational debut result in his first meeting in the Supercross category since joining Yamaha during the winter.  "I just kept plugging away and I didn't even look at the board or the laptimes or how many laps were left. I just kept going and when it felt like halfway I looked up and it said '18 laps' and I was like, 'Thank God!' said the young Californian, who had to nurse his machine across the line after catching a trackside banner in his rear wheel with two laps remaining. 'I'm just so pumped, and I didn't want to take too many chances with the banner in the wheel, so I just kept riding and it came through.'  After winning the US Open in Las Vegas and then at Paris, Bercy, it was a disappointing night for Stewart who classified 19th after his retirement.  'I got the holeshot and uncharacteristically I let him (Reed) go by. I was making a few mistakes in the beginning and I wasn't really comfortable yet. He ended up getting by me and actually pulled away,' he said. 'I found my rhythm and came back up and he might have started fading a little bit - I don't know what he was doing - but I went past him pretty quick and then I came into that corner and I missed a shift. Once I clicked back in, all I know is - just like Toronto in 2006 - I was getting hit from the rear. He took me out and I was down and out, and couldn't start my bike again.'  In the Lites category reigning champion Jason Lawrence recovered from his involvement in a first lap pile-up to guide his YZ250F to 4th place.  Round two will take place next Saturday at Chase Field in Phoenix.   Race 1 - 20 Laps                Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time  1, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 22'4.768 2, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'6.718 3, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'10.433 4, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'19.648 5, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 0'22.814 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'26.118 7, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 0'39.522 8, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 0'43.099 9, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 0'48.068 10, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 0'49.372 11, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 0'57.609 12, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'58.348 13, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, 1'13.225 14, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 17, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 18, Robert Kiniry, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 19, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, -14 Laps 20, Charles Summey, KTM, USA, -14 Laps   Rider Standings 03/01/2009  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 25 2, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 22 3, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 20 4, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 18 5, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 16 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 15 7, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 14 8, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 13 9, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 12 10, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 11 11, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 10 12, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 9 13, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, 8 14, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, 7 15, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 6 19, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 2    Manufacturer Standings 03/01/2009  Pos., Manufacturer, Points  1, Yamaha, 25 2, Honda, 22 3, Suzuki, 20 4, Kawasaki, 18 5, KTM, 1 Click here to view the news

2009 Yamaha Motor Italia Superbike riders Ben Spies and Tom Sykes have endured some serious heat on their three day test in Kyalami. The young riders have endured track temperatures approaching 50 degrees as they put the all-new-for-2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 through its paces on only its second outing on track.  Spies was second quickest on day one with an impressive best lap time of 1'41"599(46 laps) in the African sunshine. Team mate Tom Sykes was struck down with a mysterious bug, and he only managed to put in some laps prior to returning to the hotel.  Day two saw Spies fall in testing, so missing the final time on track, he still managed to improve on his day one times, finishing the day with a best lap of 1’41”049 (38 laps). Sykes managed to improve dramatically on day two with a best time of 1’42”933 (18 laps).  The final day saw Spies pull in his fastest time of the test, taking second fastest honours overall and only a mere 0.2s behind Michele Fabrizio and beating Noriyuki Haga to the second spot,making him one of only three riders to break the 1.40 barrier with a time of 1.39”978. Tom Sykes was getting back on form until an unfortunate crash curtailed his testing for the day, he again improved on his times in the limited laps run with a 1.41”562. The re-entered Aprilia squad took 8th and 9th and the new for 2009 BMW factory team finished 11th and 13th.  The new 998cc bike, featuring a high tech powerplant closely linked to the M1 MOTOGP bike, is currently at the very beginning of its development for the 2009 WSB season and is still relatively close to production specifications. The M1-derived crossplane crankshaft design and uneven firing interval, give very good traction to the bike and improved tyre life. The new chassis gives an unparallel feedback to the riders, improving stability and feeling out of corners. The WSB spec engine is being developed step by step, improving power output at each stage in the run up to the first race in 2009.  So far the team’s minor modifications to the standard bike include a modified cam-shaft, an enlarged radiator for extra cooling and the addition of an oil cooler. The new bike has no rear sub-frame but incorporates a strengthened frame. The exhaust is unique, and was developed in partnership with Akrapovic. The standard fuel tank has also been replaced with an aluminium tank with increased capacity. The bike features the latest Magneti Marelli electronic systems. The new swing arm is also developed purely for the WSB race bike based on knowledge taken from the 2008 racing season.  Since Portimao the team have changed the seating position slightly for both riders and taken the engine one step further in tuning.  Ben Spies “I’m really happy with the bike, the team and the progress we’re making,” Spies continued. “This was the first time we had the opportunity to go out and size ourselves up against everyone in a major test. We’re ahead of where we thought we’d be at this point. There are two more test sessions this winter and I expect the bike will continue to improve as we move towards the season opener at Phillip Island in March. The fan support here is pretty amazing. It was a good week to get to know some of the other riders too. I had a lot of them come up and shake my hand and welcome me to the series. Max Biaggi came up and talked with me for awhile. That was pretty awesome for me. I’ve been a fan of Max since I was a kid. In AMA there might be two or three guys in testing who get down to business from start to finish,” Spies admitted. “There’s no lollygagging here. No one’s going around doing wheelies the length of the straightaway. Everyone pushes hard here all the time. The competition is going to be good for sure.”  Tom Sykes - “It’s been a tough test! I missed one and half days through this bug I’ve had so was a long way behind with laps. When I got out I still managed to get some good laps in and the team were brilliant, they improved the bike massively every time I came in. I’ve got a very sore shoulder from falling today but it’s nothing serious.”  Massimo Meregalli Yamaha Motor Italia Team Manager - “In the end we tested almost everything while we were out here, tyres, different suspension set ups, different mappings and so on. We’ve found some good set ups to take forward to the next test. We’ve been waiting out for the evenings here for the temperature to drop so we could get back out on the track and try some new things.Both Tom and Ben have performed really well, it’s been really unfortunate that Tom has been held back by things out of his control. We’re still very much running in the new bike, this is only the second session since Portimao. All in all we are very satisfied, we know what our potential is and we are very happy.”  The Yamaha Motor Italia Team move on to their next test in Portimao on 23 to 25th January 2009. Click here to view the news

James Stewart successfully erased the painful memory of his DNF in Los Angeles last week and ruled the second round of seventeen in the 2009 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) in Phoenix on Saturday.  The 23 year old gained the lead on his San Manuel LandM YZ450F Yamaha before the end of the opening lap after overtaking rookie winner and brand-mate Josh Grant, who had aced the holeshot at Chase Field. Stewart then worked hard to defend his advantage from reigning champion Chad Reed to obtain his first chequered flag in blue colours, watched by almost 47,000 spectators.  "My goal was to try to win the race and I was able to do that, so it was good," he said. "I just wanted to ride better than I did last week."  "It is nerve-wracking but at the same time, I just had to be composed and ride in my own head," he commented regarding his close duel with Reed. "That's the only way I can get it done. Obviously he was riding good; he had better parts than I did, and I had better parts than he did. The crowd was going wild and I knew when he would get close."  It was the third consecutive triumph for Stewart in Phoenix and the perfect response to his mishap seven days earlier in which he missed a gear exiting a corner and was involved in a collision with Reed.  "There is still a long way to go and a lot of work to do," he said. "If we just think about each weekend and I win races then eventually the points will come. The championship is definitely not going to be given to me and I know I have to work for it. After last weekend, having the bobble that I had, I don't think it was anybody's fault, but I do think I put myself in a small hole and I have to dig myself out."  Grant collected third position for his second podium result in a row and after just two race appearances in the Supercross class. The youngster leads the championship by three points over Reed, with Stewart now starting to make ground and stands seventh. "As long as my starts continue to be this good, I should be fine. I had fun racing with the guys up there, and I can't thank the guys at Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha enough for what they've done for me," Grant said.  West Coast Lites champion Jason Lawrence had a crash in his qualifying Heat and could not make the cut to the main event.  Round three takes place next week and heads back to the Anaheim stadium in LA.   Race 1 - 20 Laps                Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time  1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 17'37.908 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'0.591 3, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 0'28.232 4, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'35.193 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'41.241 6, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'55.127 7, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 8, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 9, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 11, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, -1 Laps 12, Charles Summey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 13, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 14, Travis Preston, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 15, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 16, Robert Kiniry, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 17, Josh Hansen, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Daniel Blair, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 19, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 20, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, -8 Laps   Rider Standings 10/01/2009  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 45 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 42 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 38 4, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 33 5, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 30 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 30 7, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 27 8, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 21 9, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 20 10, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 20 11, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 19 12, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 18 13, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 18 14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 14 15, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 13    Manufacturer Standings 10/01/2009  Pos., Manufacturer, Points  1, Yamaha, 50 2, Suzuki, 42 3, Honda, 40 4, Kawasaki, 32 5, KTM, 10 Click here to view the news

Yamaha rider and one of the leading figures in Women’s World Championship motocross, Katherine Prumm, was given good cause for optimism after a seven hour operation to repair three broken vertebrae was successful earlier this week.  The 20 year old New Zealander is now facing a six month period of recuperation and rehabilitation.  Prumm damaged her T6, T9 and T12 in a practice crash last week and the subsequent surgical procedure involved reparation through her back and extensive work to fix the tendons surrounding the troublesome and most seriously affected area around the T12. Prumm has full feeling and use of her legs and can look ahead to recovery after being fitted with a custom-made brace for her torso that must be worn for three months.  After the shock of the accident and the aftermath – in which she briefly lost sensation in her limbs – the post-op news and perspective at last provided some much needed hope for the racer. ‘Somebody was watching over me, I was really lucky not to be paralysed and I am looking forward to getting fit and strong and to being back where I want to be,’ she said. Click here to view the news

Double Women’s World Cup winner Katherine Prumm will undergo surgery in the coming days after a practice crash in her native New Zealand left the 20 year old with several broken vertebrae.  The YZ250F rider, who led the 2008 FIM Women’s World Championship before her season was curtailed by a broken collarbone, over-jumped a triple step-down and in the ensuing tumble caused damage to her spine with the T6, T9 and T12 most affected.  Prumm who was training in preparation for attempts at the 2009 title as well as national success both in New Zealand and Australia was naturally shell-shocked with the injury set-back. Until the exact date and nature of surgery is known the duration and form of rehabilitation is difficult to determine.  A further update will be issued next week. Click here to view the news

San Manuel Yamaha rider James Stewart continued a perfect start to his career in ‘blue’ by taking his YZ450F to a dominant streak of victories at the 26th Bercy Supercross in Paris. The 22 year old AMA Motocross Champion owned all three nights in the French capital to become ‘King of Bercy’ at his first attempt.  The prestigious European Supercross meeting saw a Yamaha upon the top step of the podium for the second year in succession as Stewart followed in the footsteps of Chad Reed and swept away from the pack in every race that he started. Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings all belonged to the American in what was just his second meeting on the YZ450F after ruling the lucrative US Open in Las Vegas last month.  “That was an awesome experience, it was like the Motocross of Nations but louder!” he said. “I was a bit shocked to see my times in practice so I knew I had good speed. The track is pretty simple but quite good. There are only a couple of places where you can make time and I took advantage of that.”  “We did another week of testing after US Open and I feel good and the team is working well,” he continued. “I think we will make some improvements but I have to say that although the bike is different to what I had before it is way better. I feel really good on the turns and very relaxed; my corner speed has got faster on the Yamaha. It is an exciting time.”  “I feel really comfortable around the team,” he added. “They want the same as me; to win. This is the first year I have been able to do this race and it was because we all wanted to come. Now we head back to the US. The SX championship is my goal for 2009 and I believe we can do it.”  It has been a busy time for Stewart who helped Team USA to triumph in the 62nd Motocross of Nations in the UK before travelling home and launching his new team and then winning his maiden Yamaha appearance in Vegas. Stewart revealed that he is planning yet more transatlantic trips after the 18 race AMA and FIM World Championship SX series has ended on May 2nd in Nevada. His next event will be the opening race at Anaheim in Los Angeles on January 3rd.  “I plan to be back in Europe before the Nations, maybe some GPs, I don’t know. If I keep on getting police escorts from the airport then I will be back all the time!” he commented, referring to his VIP treatment from organisers in Paris.  In other news Yamaha Red Bull De Carli rider Matteo Bonini scored another podium result with his YZ250F in the European SX Championship in Milan. The Italian is now up to third in the competition and 15 points behind leader Benjamin Coisy with just one round remaining, in Genoa on November 22nd.  "I had to miss the first two rounds of this championship because of commitments to the European Motocross of Nations and it is a bit of a shame because I really would have been pushing for the title,” he said. “However we go to Genoa next and I would love to win there. I had some good speed in Milan but the race was totally determined by the start and I did not get the best launches.” Click here to view the news